My Nephews
by Offin
Summary: Stoffel remembers a time when the only power his nephews held over him, was that of their adorable smiles. (Fluff/bonding fic featuring the adorable little princes! This is intended to have 4 parts, one per nephew (Conrart, Gwendal & Wolfram in that order) plus a finale. There's lots of other characters/elements in this, too! Enjoy! :)
1. Intro

_Damn those brothers! Damn them!_

Stoffel stormed down the halls of Blood Pledge Castle after being ejected from yet another formal meeting between his majesty and members of the court. It wasn't fair!

They were always undercutting him, making sure he was forever unable to get close to the king. Ensuring that he held no power and no voice at all when it came to matters of state. Celi wasn't even doing anything about her unruly brood, she was off ignoring him completely, allowing them to run rampant and hardly ever responding to his letters of distress.

The last letter he had sent his sister had been a three-page rant that a very hearty pigeon had to deliver, entirely about her middle child. Her response?

She sent him the torn corner of a page bearing a lipstick mark, that read: _'Mind your wrinkles, dear brother.'_

Her sons were a menace and she was telling him to mind his wrinkles? _To calm down?_ It was infuriating!

Once he was alone in a long hall in the West Wing of the palace, Stoffel's steps slowed until he was all but shuffling past its ordinate windows and grand tapestries. Outside, beyond the glass, he had a clear view of the courtyard where the meeting he had just been ejected from was filtering outside into their expecting carriages.

On the marble steps were three familiar figures, his nephews were all standing beside his majesty, smiling and talking like nothing at all was wrong with the world- like they hadn't just kicked their poor uncle out on his arse. Stoffel approached the glass to peer down at his nephews. Several moments passed by until Gwendal and Wolfram turned to head back inside, following his highness.

Conrart lagged behind, turning instead to head down the steps and into the open yard below.

 _Conrart Weller._

Of his three nephews, he couldn't stand Conrart the most. How has such a calm tempered child become such a mess? Things hadn't always been this way- Conrart hadn't always been a menace to his uncle.

Stoffel sighed as he thought back, remembering a different time, a time where his nephews had held no power over him other than that of their adorable smiles. 

* * *

_This story will have 4 parts, a chapter per nephew and an ending scene that takes place in the present time. :)_


	2. My Nephew Conrart

It had been an eventful morning, to say the least. Her majesty the queen, (his darling little sister) had informed him she was taking her brutish human husband and going on a surprise anniversary trip for a couple of days, leaving the castle in his hands.

The screaming match that ensued had been vehement but in the end, she had won.

Having to care for the castle wasn't why Stoffel's face had turned beet red with anger.

She was leaving her sons: Gwendal and Conrart, in his care.

To make matters worse, Gwendal, (Conrart's usual keeper) had recently begun his estate studies making him unable to look after the youngest prince. Conrart was still too young to do much of anything on his own which left Stoffel directly in charge of his safety and well-being.

 _'Not that it matters'_ , he thought to himself as he made his way to his chambers, _'I'll ditch him with the servants as soon as my sister leaves',_ what they decided to do with the boy, Stoffel couldn't care less. Unfortunately all hopes of ditching his nephew flew out the window when he reached his chambers and found his trusted friend and confident, Raven, holding said squirming child in his arms.

"If you don't look after him, her majesty has informed me to write to her directly." Raven said sadly, passing the child to Stoffel who held him like he was infested with parasites. "It's an order, sire."

Stoffel growled under his breath.

How dare she pitch Raven against him! She knew the man was loyal to them both, how could she do this to him? Order him to play referee? He wasn't a nanny and Raven didn't deserve to be put in a position to choose between him and his sister.

"I'm going to _strangle_ her!" Stoffel howled, making the child in his arms go still from shock. He then began to whimper and cry, causing Stoffel to make a disgusted face before passing the child back into Raven's arms. "Quiet him! I can not handle this right now, not with so much that needs to be done." he snapped, rubbing his forehead as Raven gently patted the child's back, speaking to him in low tones until his whimpering ceased.

"Actually, your highness..." Raven said as he set the child down on the floor, where he clung close to the man's boots. "Your work is now my responsibility, courtesy of her majesty. What little work you have left will leave you with an ample amount of time to care for your nephew."

There was a long moment of silence as Stoffel seethed and Conrart absently played with the large silver buckles on Raven's boot straps.

"I believe she has planned this so that you'll..."

"Don't say it." Stoffel snapped, glaring at the other man. "I don't want to."

"So that you'll bond with your nephew." Raven said anyway, bowing apologetically.

He had to admit he was worried about leaving the child in Stoffel's care, if only because the man was negligent when it came to the needs of others, especially children. _'Stoffel,'_ Raven thought as he looked at the little mop of brown hair at his feet, _'Isn't the only one who's going to have a stressful week. Poor boy...'_

"Please let me know if you happen to need my assistance..." Raven said before quietly exiting the room, leaving Stoffel alone with his nephew who seemed just as clueless about what to do with Stoffel as Stoffel was with him.

The child aged differently than Mazoku children due to his mixed blood. _'Half-human'_ Stoffel thought bitterly. Conrart was only four years old but he could already walk and say simple sentences. It was remarkable and disgusting how quickly he was aging.

"What do you want?" he snapped. The child flinched but didn't move otherwise at he stared unblinkingly up at him.

 _Damn his sister._

* * *

Two days passed where Stoffel did barely anything to care for his nephew, instead, turning him over to the maids and servants. This forced Raven to warn him (again) that he was under direct orders to report to her majesty, (what a joke!) if he didn't spend time with the boy.

In the end, Stoffel decided that he was going to be a bigger man, er... person, than his sister. He wasn't going to let her upset Raven by forcing the man to report negatively upon him. He was also determined to prove to Raven that he was a man capable of many things- including child care.

So, he begrudgingly began caring for his nephew.

Unlike his loud obnoxious father, Conrart was a quiet child. He didn't say much of anything, which made Stoffel think he might be mentally aging slower than his physical body was. He would ask the boy questions and would get nothing in reply, or only small head shakes of _'yes'_ and _'no'._

So here he was, sitting in a large ordinate drawing room being forced to spend time with his nephew. He couldn't just play with a child all day, (lest he go insane) so he busied himself by completing what little work he was able to forcefully snatch out of the hands of those who were put in charge of his duties this week.

Conrart was sitting a few feet away on the floor, surrounded by an entire bin of toys a servant had haphazardly dumped out for him. However, the boy didn't seem very interested in them as he absently picked through the bin while stealing occasional glances out the window or at the door. The room was so quiet, Stoffel forgot after a while that the child even existed until he was interrupted by large brown eyes and fluffy hair poking over his makeshift desk.

"Hi." Conrart said with a wide grin as he carefully set a small group of toy soldiers down on Stoffel's papers. "These are yours." he explained as he set an equal amount of toy soldiers down on the couch next to the man. "-and these are mine!"

So he could speak. How infuriating that he hadn't said a word until now, ignoring his questions completely. Stoffel tipped his papers forward, sending the carefully placed soldiers tumbling to the floor. "They're all yours." he said, turning away. "I do not have time to play."

"Noo," the boy shook his head as he carefully gathered the toy soldiers once more and again, placed them upon his work. "These are yours!" he exclaimed with the same smile returning to his face.

" _Nooo_ ," he said mockingly as he tumbled them immediately to the floor. "They're yours. Go play." Conrart looked puzzled as he picked the toy soldiers up once more- only this time he set them on the couch next to the man.

"They need to be here," he said as seriously as a child could, "to protect you!" Stoffel rolled his eyes.

"From what, exactly?" he asked, curious if the boy actually had thought up anything or was just being a child.

"From me." he said simply. "I'm a dragon."

"You're a dragon." Stoffel said, eyeing him. "What are you going to do?"

"Dragons fly!" he said excitedly, "I fly and they protect you."

"Do it quietly." he instructed as he picked up his quill once more and Conrart nodded before running back over to his pile of toys. Several moments of silence passed before Conrart suddenly began to run around the room as fast as he could, which wasn't terribly fast, but fast enough to give Stoffel anxiety that he was going to run into something and break it.

"No running!" he shouted.

Conrart slowed down considerably but continued to jump and skip occasionally about the room, climbing on furniture. " _Rooooaaarrr..._ " he said in his quietest whisper as he climbed down off of the chair he was on and continued his journey around the room. " _Roaaarr..._ "

Stoffel had to stop writing, as he cradled his head in his hands. Conrart was listening to him; he wasn't running and he wasn't being overly loud but he was still obnoxious. He watched the child play in what he could only guess was a fantasy wold of soldiers fighting dragons.

Would he ever be brave enough to have children? Was it even worth it?

Several minutes of this passed by and the longer it went on the louder Conrart got as he delved deeper and deeper into his fantasy.

 _The soldiers on the East were advancing! His uncle's Soldiers were defending the castle! He, the dragon, was laying waste to cities and stealing gold! The castle was weakening, it was time to attack!_

"Roar!" Conrart squealed as he leapt from a nearby chair onto the couch, sending the toy soldiers that had been defending his uncle clattering to the floor.

" _ENOUGH!_ " the man shouted in the child's face, causing his nephew to lose his balance and fall off the couch from shock, dropping a short but hard distance to the floor. Stoffel stood up immediately to check on him, cursing himself over losing his patience so easily.

He was surprised to see Conrart wasn't crying, just sitting on the floor in a daze as Stoffel picked him up and inspected him for injuries. He was even more surprised when Conrart began to laugh and screamed right in his face at the top of his lungs:

 **"ROAAAARRRR!"**

"Q-quiet!" the man stammered at Conrart lost control of himself and began giggling uncontrollably, "Uncle!" he said breathlessly, "You're the dragon! You're the dragon!"

"I'm the dragon?" he grumbled as he held the child sideways like a piece of luggage and dragged him back over to the bin of toys, setting him down among them.

"You're the dragon!" he exclaimed again and Stoffel only huffed in irritation.

"Stay here. You're not allowed to move." he told the child as he put a ring of toys around the boy. "See this? It's a cage. You're a dragon and I've put you in a cage so you can't move."

The child's eyes sparkled as he eyed his very small cage. He nodded.

"Don't move." he instructed as he made his way back to his work. "Remember: you're in a cage."

It appeared to be working: Conrart would occasionally make noises or flop about but he obediently stayed within the ring of toys. He was so obedient that Stoffel smirked to himself about how stupid that man's child was to be fooled so easily. Clearly, Conrart Weller wasn't going to grow up to be the most intelligent man.

Stoffel engrossed himself once more in his work and the hours ticked by. At some point his nephew had stopped making sounds but Stoffel hadn't even spared the boy a glance. He was almost finished working when he looked up to check the time and did a double-take when he noticed the ring of toys was empty.

He paused, listening but hearing nothing except his rapidly increasing heart rate.

"Boy...?" he said, putting his papers carefully aside and walking slowly around the room.

"Come out, now!"

Nothing.

After tossing aside all of the furniture in the room, Stoffel cursed, admitting to himself that the child must have somehow broke free of his cage and escaped the room without him noticing. Telling himself not to panic, he made his way out of the room and began to search the halls nearby.

The largest thought in his mind was not to alert anyone to the fact that he'd lost track of the youngest prince. After all, there was no need to form a search party just yet, he still had time to find the child before Raven or anyone knew he was missing.

* * *

"Conrart, here boy..." he called, looking under various pieces of furniture and around the bushes outside the castle, as if calling a stray cat. He found nothing- it was as if the child had vanished into thin air leaving not even a hair to trace him with.

"What are you doing?" a small voice said, causing Stoffel to bang his head on the bench he'd been looking under. Turning around, he was met with mischievous, bright blue eyes.

Why, if it wasn't little Anissina- Lord Von Karbelnikoff's daughter.

"It is none of your concern," he said to her, standing up while dusting off his clothes.

"Are you playing fox and rabbit with Conrart?" she asked and Stoffel eyed her warily at the mention of the boy's name.

"Do you ever play fox and rabbit with him?" he asked her strategically.

"Sometimes." she replied, crossing her arms.

"Where does he hide when he's the rabbit?" he demanded, but the girl only lifted her chin at the man. "That's cheating." she said simply, "I can't tell you that."

"It's not cheating, you're playing now too." he insisted and she shook her head. "Two people can't be fox at once." she paused to think. "Buuuut if you help me test one of my inventions," a smile began to slowly spread across her face. "I'll tell you."

"Alright," he said, trying to look dignified after losing in a battle of wits against a little girl. "Show me your invention and hurry up, I don't have all day!"

He was impatient as she took the small device out of her pocket and motioned for the man's hand. "It's a bracelet?" he asked and she shook her head 'no' as she firmly attached it to his wrist. "It's _Heart-Heart-Start-kun!_ " she announced proudly, "I thought the name up myself."

"What is it suppose to do?" he asked, looking over the odd device now strapped to his wrist.

"It uses Maryoku from the vict- I mean, from the wearer... to find their true love!"

"This will not work on me." he said gruffly, attempting to take the device off, "I do not have a true love."

"Everyone has a true love!" Anissina shouted, stomping her foot resolutely. "Even if you don't know it, your heart does. Now focus your Maryoku!" she said, pointing her delicate finger at him.

"Fine, I'm focusing."

To ease the awkward silence Stoffel began to hum in low tones- trying to make it seem like he was doing something magical.

"See?" he said, after a long moment of nothing. "It doesn't work."

"We'll see about that." Anissina said as she began walking down the hallway, back straight and eyes set into the distance.

"W-wait! You said you'd tell me where the Weller boy is!" he shouted, following after her in desperation. "I am!" she replied with a roll of her eyes, tossing her thick, rosy curls over her shoulder. "We're going to the garden."

* * *

"Are you sure you're playing fox and rabbit?" Anissina asked as she got up from searching the last of Conrart's hiding spots.

"Why would you ask me that and can you _please_ remove this infernal device already!?" the older man cried, trying futilely to pry the bracelet off with a pocket knife.

She ignored him.

"If you're not playing fox and rabbit I can't help you. Conrart likes to explore the castle, he does it all the time." she shrugged. "Maybe Gwendal will know where to find him."

"No." Stoffel said, trying to hide the tremor in his voice. "I can find him myself."

"Alright." she said, watching the older man waddle off, "Are you sure you don't want Gwendal?"

"Do not bother Gwendal!" the man ordered, "He's busy and it's not important."

* * *

 _The dragon had escaped it's mighty bonds with the help of his soldiers and was currently stalking the castle grounds._

Being very careful not to be seen, (least he get caught and placed back into the dreaded cage...) Conrart stuck to the shadows and corners as he made his way across the castle. To an adult eye, the boy wasn't doing a very good job of being sneaky but being as small as he was, no one noticed him anyway as they carried on their daily routines.

The small prince was making his way towards the kitchens without much thought, simply following his whims, when he caught sight of a familiar blonde head of hair. "Molly!" Conrart squealed with excitement, for he'd just spotted one of the children of the castle, a girl a little older than him who was the daughter of a chef.

The blonde girl's eyes widened as the younger boy dashed towards her- she had been helping her mother make bread but stopped entirely as he approached. Before Conrart could hug her, (as he normally would upon greeting her) a rolling pin lightly poked him in the chest. Molly was holding it in front of her like a sword, to keep him at arm's length.

"N-No!" she said, a tremor in her voice. "M-My momma said I can't play with you anymore." Molly barely understood, but she knew her mother had meant it when she had sternly told her a few days prior, not to spend time with the half-human prince anymore. Molly didn't know it, but her mother was afraid that if they continued to spend time together, their bond might grow as they aged. Determined to keep her daughter from falling in love with or ( _Shinou forbid,_ ) marrying a half-breed she'd decided to squash what little connection they had now, before it ever had a chance of developing into something more.

Conrart's eyes went wide as the tilted his head at the girl.

"Oh... okay! We don't have to play!" he said, a small smile coming back to his face. "I can help make bread!"

"No." Molly shook her head. "We can't be friends anymore."

The small gasp of shock from the boy made Molly feel awful as she looked for an escape from the situation. "B-but Molly is my friend!" he insisted, wringing his shirt in his hands.

"N-not anymore... I-I'm sorry...!" she said, before getting down from her stool and running deep into the kitchen so she could cling to her mother- anything to get away from her friend's sad eyes. Conrart sat motionless in silence, he wasn't sure what he was suppose to do...

So, he did what Molly had done and ran away- only, in the opposite direction; ignoring his hunger which had been ignited by the smell of freshly baked bread.

He ran in search of a good spot to hide, ( _he was still a fugitive dragon, mind you_ ) and found one: a sturdy table draped with a thick white table cloth. Crawling on all fours, he made his way beneath it and sat for some time, thinking. Conrart had never lost a friend before and he didn't understand it.

What did it mean? They couldn't play together ever again? Why?

Unable to figure it out, he gave up and tried to push aside the feeling of being unwanted as he poked his head out from beneath his hiding place. His stomach chose that moment to growl fiercely, making him eye the hallway leading to the kitchens.

He was a very hungry dragon, but he couldn't go back... Conrart tried to think of what dragons ate.

"Dragons eat meat... _oh no!_ " Conrart gasped to himself, pulling his head back under the table. _'Dragons eat horsies...!'_ he thought with a tremble- before smiling, slowly getting back into character as the fearsome, hungry horse-eating dragon that he was.

 _"Roaaaaarrrr..."_ he said quietly, dashing out of his hiding spot and then outside, as he headed towards the stables.

After all, he couldn't help that he was born a dragon.

* * *

Several hours passed and with the sun hanging low in the sky Stoffel began to lose hope. His long search had turned up nothing. The man had given up on trying to remove the strange device the girl inventor had attached to his wrist; too focused on his growling stomach to care.

"Perhaps... I can tell my sister a bad omen bird swooped from the sky and ate him." Stoffel mumbled to himself in despair, head hanging as he made his way to the kitchens. "Or that a band of assassins broke in and took him..."

 _"Took who?"_

The blonde man's heart nearly seized in his chest upon hearing the icy voice of his oldest nephew. The boy was standing only a few steps behind him, making Stoffel skitter back nervously. It wasn't that he was afraid of his nephew- Gwendal was less than half his height... he was afraid of his sister.

"Well, well, well, look at you! Growing so big! How are your studies coming along young man?" he asked, brow sweating.

"They're fine." he said softly, eyeing the long hallway around them. "Are you heading to the dining room?"

"Why yes!" he exclaimed, "I am rather hungry, aren't you?"

"Where's Conrart?" he asked and Stoffel's smile only faltered for a second before he presented his carefully practiced lie:

"He's asleep!" he said, clapping his hands with false glee. "Such a cute little boy he is when he's all curled up, ahaha..."

"Where?" Gwendal said, raising an eyebrow at his uncle's very peculiar behavior. "In bed." Stoffel replied. "I really must be going or I fear I may starve to death!" he exclaimed, "Good evening to you, young Lord Von Voltaire~!"

"Did he eat?" Gwendal cut in, following his uncle. "Did you feed him before he went to bed?"

"Wha- oh, of course!"

"What did you feed him?" Gwendal pressed and Stoffel began to sweat more."It was some sort of something.. er... soup of some sort."

"Was it _Romotori_?" Gwendal asked and the older man nodded, "Yes! That's right, it was Romotori." he said, trying anything to placate the inquisitive young man.

" **Liar.** "

This made Stoffel glare down at the child. "What... did you say?"

"You're lying. Conrart doesn't like spicy food."

"It was made without spice." he replied coldly as Gwendal glared.

" _Where. is. my._ **_brother._** "

* * *

 _"YOU LOST HIM!?"_ the screech was loud enough to nearly make him deaf as Stoffel tried his best to calm the angry prince down. "He is not lost! He's just hiding from me!" the older man insisted nervously. Stoffel's reply fell on deaf ears, Gwendal was already taking action by alerting a nearby guard of the situation.

After alerting the guard to spread word of the lost prince to the staff, Gwendal turned on his heel and began to stalk angrily down the hall- heading towards the drawing room where his brother had vanished. "W-wait, where are you going?" Stoffel asked, wringing his hands nervously as he trailed closely behind.

"To the drawing room where you first lost him." Gwendal gritted out. "I'm starting there." Stoffel lingered nearby the entire way to the drawing room, muttering and looking like a mess. "Uncle," Gwendal snapped once they'd made it to their destination. "If we don't find him..."

"N-not to worry, I assure you the little brat-" the look Gwendal gave the man must have been chilling because Stoffel reconsidered his choice of words, "Err... t-the little prince is probably just playing games..." Gwendal didn't see the need to finish his sentence as he entered the luxurious eastern wing.

Looking around, he noticed immediately the circle of toys and the numerous handfuls of toy soldiers laying about the floor. "You said you put him in this ring of toys?" Gwendal asked as he inspected the circle. "Yes, he was content there, I... told him to pretend he was a caged dragon and he spent nearly an hour within that circle."

"You left my brother in a cage for an hour?" Gwendal hissed and Stoffel rolled his eyes.

"A ring of toys is hardly a cage."

"You're hardly a responsible adult," Gwendal snapped, "Conrart isn't even difficult to care for yet you still failed spectacularly! I knew it was a horrible idea to leave him in your hands." he finished bitterly.

There was a long silence broken by shaky intake of breath on Stoffel's part.

 _"Y-you're right...!"_ the older man deflated, cradling his head in his hands. Gwendal, not expecting this reaction at all- gawked at the display. "He was very obedient! I asked him to be quiet and he was, I asked him not to move and he stayed put... all he wanted to do was play and I shouted at him!" Stoffel cried, thumping his head with the palm of his hands. "He wouldn't have run off if I had paid closer attention..."

Stoffel then collapsed into a chair muttering, his head still hung heavily in his hands.

Gwendal was at a loss of what to say... his uncle was (for once!) admitting fault and showing remorse. Not wanting to kick a man while he was down, the prince decided to remain silent on the matter, continuing his inspection of the room. Crouching near the ring of toys, the eldest son noticed a carefully arranged group of soldiers surrounding a single stuffed toy.

"The breech happened here," Gwendal pointed at the only toy in the ring that had been pulled out of line. "He must have used the soldiers to break himself free... Uncle," he stood then, facing the downtrodden man. "You said he was pretending to be a dragon, correct?"

"Y-yes... roaring and carrying on..." the man muttered in despair.

"Conrart takes playing make-believe very seriously." Gwendal allowed a small smile to tug at his lips as he thought of how many times Conrart was the perfect little actor, fully inhabiting any role Gwendal assigned to him when they played those kind of games. "My theory is that he's probably still pretending to be a dragon. If that's true, we just have to think: _'where would a run away dragon go'?_ "

Stoffel's downtrodden, yet highly skeptical eyes analyzed him.

" _Where would a dragon go?_ " he echoed, "Are you hearing yourself?"

Gwendal crossed his arms, glaring. "I know my brother." he said with venom. "If he's still pretending to be a dragon he's probably hiding because he doesn't want to be caught."

Stoffel sighed, long and hard. "Regardless, we wouldn't know what that child thinks a dragon would do... a-and it's going to be dark soon."

" _Where would a dragon go... What would a dragon do..._ " Gwendal ignored his uncle as he picked up and pocketed one of the toy soldiers and left the drawing room, determined to find his sibling.

Stoffel stayed behind and simply watched the prince go. He allowed himself to think for a while in silence as he too looked at the toy soldiers the boy had given him. _'These are yours, to protect you!'_ his nephew had said.

"I should have been watching you." he groaned once more. "Protecting you- now, who knows what you could be getting into?" images of Conrart eating things he shouldn't or getting trapped in potentially deadly areas raced through the older man's mind, sending chills down his spine. _'Don't panic,'_ he thought to himself as he stood, feeling light headed.

His thoughts were interrupted when a sharp pang of hunger hit him in the gut, causing realization to pass over his face. Conrart hadn't eaten all day. (Another failure on his behalf.)

"A hungry dragon... " Stoffel mumbled to himself as he looked at the toy soldier in his grip. with that, he set off towards the kitchens.

* * *

The stables were tall and sturdy and smelled of hay and- well, horses.

He was rarely allowed to enter them, (he wasn't old enough to ride and his excited skittering about made the horses nervous) but Conrart loved the stables.

Conrart didn't only love the stables themselves, though, he absolutely loved horses.

"Horsies!" he gasped excitedly as he approached one of the large beasts, who's head hung low over it's stable door, inspecting him curiously with large, dark eyes. "Don't worry," he told the horse as he pet it's snout- just the way Gwendal had taught him to, soft and gentle. "I won't eat you." The horse only snorted softly in response, nudging his hand, checking to see if he carried any oats or treats with him.

Being a dragon fell to the way-side now that Conrart had horses to pet.

 _"Conrart!"_

 _"Prince Conrart!"_

The sound of his name startled him as Conrart peered cautiously outside the stable door.

Guards! So many guards! The sight of so many soldiers running about made Conrart's stomach drop. They were calling his name, tearing through the bushes and overturning barrels in what appeared to be a frantic search.

"Oh no..." his uncle had sent soldiers to find him! He didn't want to go back yet! Conrart backed slowly into the stables and looked about for another place to hide. Looking up, he saw a small set of narrow steps leading up to a loft that was used to store hay.

He advanced up the steps using both his hands and feet causing one of the toy soldiers within his pocket to fall out and land upon the steps. Conrart didn't notice and once he reached the loft he couldn't care; for he was amazed at how vast it was. To the child, the loft held seemingly endless rows of hay, all stacked carefully upon each other, the floor was more hay than wood and it looked like an elaborate, exciting maze with plenty of places to explore and hide.

Just then, a large roll of thunder suddenly crashed about the sky, startling him. _'What was that!?'_ the boy thought, fear creeping slowly into him. _'Rain?'_ he couldn't see the sky from the loft, it was entirely enclosed but Conrart could hear rain begin to fall upon the roof of the stables.

 _'It's only rain!'_ he told himself over and over as he made his way through the hay, _'It's not scary.'_ his mother had told him about thunder- she had explained the scary sounds was just the sky applauding the clouds for making it rain. "Because it's _'good for the plants'!_ " Conrart repeated his mother's words aloud as he found a comfortable spot to curl up. Reaching into his pocket, he brought out his toy soldiers and lined them up around him.

"You keep watch." he ordered them sternly as he curled up in the hay, not minding how it poked at him or made him want to sneeze.

* * *

In the kitchens, Stoffel couldn't ask a single question because all of the servants were busy upturning the cupboards in search of the missing prince. Most of them looked irritated as guards oversaw that every inch of the kitchen was stripped thoroughly.

A little girl who reminded Stoffel of his sister, when they had been children- was staring at him with wide, blue eyes. "Don't worry," he told the girl who stiffened when he addressed her, "No one is in trouble." well... except for himself.

"A-are they looking for Con- I.. I mean the Prince Conrart?" she asked, eyeing the frantic soldiers. "Y-yes." Stoffel replied with a sigh, "He ah... he went missing earlier today." The fear and concern was apparent in her eyes as she began to shrink back, looking for protection- most likely in the form of her mother.

"What is it child, what's wrong?" he asked. He wouldn't admit it to anyone- but he had a soft spot in his heart for little girls, born from days he use to care for his sister before she became the bane of his very existence.

If he'd had nieces instead of nephews, perhaps things would be different.

"I.. I'm sorry!" she cried, tears springing to her eyes. "It's all my fault he's gone!"

This outburst would have alerted the guards if Stoffel hadn't quickly stepped in and scooped the girl into his arms, carrying her away from the chaos of the kitchen. "Now, don't say that!" he chided, his heart racing. "H-have you seen him at all today?"

"Y-yes...!" she sniffed, fisting his shirt between her small fingers. "He was h-here only a little while ago and I told him to go away." she looked miserable. "My momma told me I couldn't be friends with him anymore so I told him 'No, we can't be friends.' he was so upset he ran away." she cried, "He's gone because of me, _I just know it!_ "

"O-oh..." Stoffel gasped, patting her back absently as he thought her words over. "Did you happen to see where he ran off to?"

"H-he... The last I saw, he was headed towards the stables." she shook her head, her blonde hair bouncing. "I didn't think anything of it but now I'm certain-! He must have took a horse and rode off, because of what I said...!"

Took a horse...? Stoffel was skeptical of that. Conrart was growing quickly but he wasn't hardly big enough to ride a horse all on his own... was he?

"It's not your fault," he replied, setting her down. "Conrart is er..." what was his nephew?

"Conrart is a kind... boy." he said, patting her head. "I'm sure he forgives you."

"I was so mean to him..." she said sadly and Stoffel had to look away, guilt gnawing at him. "He's my friend...! I don't want to stop being friends with him but my momma said..."

"What's your name?" Stoffel asked, cutting her sentence short.

"Molly..." she sniffled and Stoffel nodded.

"Molly, when we find him I'll let him know you said hello. He'll be delighted to hear it, I'm sure." Molly didn't think her friend would be happy to hear from her, after she'd been so mean to him, but she nodded anyway because the man before her was a noble and was only trying to be nice.

"Y-yes... thank you." she said softly as Stoffel turned and left the kitchens in a hurry- heading towards the stables. _'Surely he wouldn't run away on horseback...'_ he thought, trying to ease the rising panic in his chest as he quickened his steps down the hall.

His thoughts were cut short when suddenly the world tilted violently beneath him- his feet scrambling for purchase as they slid, sending him to the floor with a mighty crash.

Before he knew it, he was on his back seeing stars.

"Oh..." he groaned, "Oh, my back..." Stoffel carefully rolled over and very ungracefully got onto his knees, looking about for the cause of his fall. Sitting not far from his boot, broken and scuffed, was a small toy soldier. "A... toy soldier?" Stoffel muttered, snatching it from the floor.

Just then a flash of lightening followed by a roll of thunder passed over the castle, rattling the single pane windows. _"Conrart! Prince Conrart!"_ he could hear the voices of soldiers shouting in the courtyard as he shook his head. _'Oh fantastic, what now- a storm...?'_ the man thought, eyeing the sky from his place on the floor.

 **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

"WAUGHH! What in the world-!?" Stoffel cried as the device: _Heart-Heart-Start-kun!_ Little Anissina had placed upon his wrist began to whir and vibrate, flashing bright lights in his eyes.

"Blasted thing!" he cursed, trying once again to remove it. "Don't tell me the storm is making you malfunction!?"

"Sire?"

Stoffel's breath caught in his throat as he turned his head slowly, looking up to see a familiar face. A face he usually loved to see, yet currently only filled him with dread.

 **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!** _"Conrart! Little Prince!"_

"R-Raven!" he gasped as the dark haired man helped him to his feet. "W-what brings you here?"

 **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!** _"Conrart! Conrart!"_ **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

"Highness..." he said, disappointment in his voice. "I came looking for you when I heard-"

 **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!** _"Prince Conrart! Come out at once!"_ **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

"O-oh, w-well, I'm rather busy at the moment! I do hope you understand-" Stoffel said as he began to rapidly back up, looking to retreat.

 **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!** _"Conrart! Little Prince!"_ **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

"Sire, wait!" Raven had to raise his voice over the sound of Heart-Heart-Start-kun's obnoxiously loud beeping, thunder crashing and soldiers shouting.

 **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!** _"Conrart! Can you hear us?!"_ **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

"E-everything is under control!" Stoffel shouted back, waving a dismissive hand at the man as he turned, quickly hobbling away- heading outside with a flurry of commotion and noise.

Raven watched him go, sighing heavily. He knew Conrart was missing and was going to tell Stoffel that he was sorry but he had to write a letter to Queen Celi- however... the man didn't seem to be in the mood to speak to him at the moment. So, he did what he thought was useful and turned on his heel to assist in looking for the prince. Perhaps he would check with young Lord Von Voltaire and see if he could be of any use.

* * *

Once outside, Stoffel was surrounded by soldiers as the rain poured down in sheets, drenching everything within it's reach. _Heart-Heart-Start-kun_ 's infernal beeping had finally ceased, allowing him a breath of relief as he made his way towards the stables.

"Sire, please head inside where it's dry! We have the courtyard under control, my lord." a soldier tried to inform him, but he shoo'd the man away. "Leave me be!" he cried over the sound of the rain. "Continue with your search and I'll continue with mine!"

"S-sir!" the soldier saluted him, his face burning with embarrassment from being cut down so easily as Stoffel brushed by him, entering the stables alone.

* * *

Raven was at a loss of what to say as he stood by and watched the first prince of Shin Makoku tear apart every room he came in contact with. The boy was muttering angrily to himself when Raven finally decided to approach him, hearing small bits and pieces of a private conversation he was having with himself.

"I told them not to leave Conrart with him! I didn't expect that fool to care about his son but mother should have known better!" the boy growled under his breath as he tore a storage chest out from beneath a bed frame. "It was obvious that this would happen- I should have fought harder to prevent this!" his voice began to raise as he tossed the covers off the mattress.

"Lord Gwendal..." Raven said softly, startling the young prince who whipped around to face the older man.

"R-Raven!" he gasped before collecting himself. "Any news?"

"None, sire... but I have already wrote to your mother. She should be aware of the situation soon enough." Raven could tell the boy didn't care if his mother knew or not- all he cared about was finding his sibling.

"I hate him." Gwendal said angrily as he collapsed heavily upon the wooden chest at his feet. "He's a horrible uncle."

"I understand your anger towards him, my lord..." Raven trailed off, placing a hand on the boy's thin shoulder- he was still a child but his dark eyes reflected the heavy weight of responsibility that had been placed upon him too soon.

"I don't care if he's a horrible uncle to me," the boy snapped as he idly pulled the toy soldier out of his pocket and began to nervously turn it over in his hands. "but Conrart doesn't deserve it."

"It's neither your fault, nor Conrart's that Stoffel is this way," Raven said softly. "You boys are wonderful nephews. He is simply a broken man." he tried to comfort the other as he straightened. "Beneath his bitterness there is the tender heart- he cares for you and your brother." he assured the boy. "Have faith that one day he'll show it to you."

Gwendal was about to snap at Raven about how he didn't care if his uncle ever loved them- when his shoulders slumped. He was too worried to continue talking. He stood, pocketing the toy once more. "I can't talk anymore. Please excuse me, I must find my little brother." he said, escaping the room and the unseen pressure of the man's sad, gentle gaze.

Once he was alone, Raven sighed and sat in silence for a moment, allowing his thoughts to wander.

 _"Mister Raven!"_ his temporary peace was interrupted by a sharp angelic voice at the doorway. "Y-yes, Lady Anissina?" the little girl had deeply startled him, she had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "Have you seen Lord Stoffel?" she asked and the man shook his head.

"He is outside somewhere, my lady." he replied.

"He has my invention!" she snapped, stomping her foot upon the carpet. "I need it back!"

"Your invention?" Raven asked curiously, remembering the beeping device around the man's wrist. "I believe I saw him wearing something around his wrist, it was making a lot of noise..."

Anissina's eyes sparkled.

" _Heart-Heart-Start-kun!_ " she said, clenching her fist. "You said it was making noise?"

"Y-yes...?"

"Where was he?"

"J-just... in the hall near the kitchens." he replied. "I found him alone on the floor and once I began approaching him- it began to make an awful sound."

"Ew, no way!" Anissina wrinkled her nose at the man. "You're his true love?"

"E-excuse me?" Raven stuttered, unsure of how to respond to that.

"Maybe it's broken." she said with a shrug, turning away. "I'll find him on my own!" with that she left as suddenly as she came, leaving Raven in silence once more.

...

...

"W-what does she mean, _'ew'...?_ "

* * *

The stables were warm, dark and dry.

Stoffel made his way down the rows of stalls as curious horses poked their noses out at him, sniffing him for treats and stamping expectantly. "Conrart?" he said, raising his voice above the dull roar of the rain. "Conrart, are you in here?" When he heard no response, Stoffel gave a heavy sigh and sat down upon a wooden stool used to assist the workers in cleaning horse hooves.

"Conrart, your uncle is very worried about you..." he muttered miserably to himself, "Where are you hiding?" He sat in silence for a while, thinking about where his nephew could have gone if he had left the stables and why, his eyes traveling listlessly over the floors and stalls before him.

Something glistening in the lamp light caught his eye, forcing him to stand once more. He waddled slowly towards a set of wooden steps near the entrance to the stables and gasped when he recognized the object, dropping down on his knees to collect it.

A single toy soldier lay haphazardly upon the steps leading to the hay loft- which was dark and silent.

Stoffel contemplated the chances of finding his nephew among the endless barrels of hay as a loud crash of thunder suddenly shook the building and he could have swore he heard a yelp from above.

"Conrart!?"

Still nothing but silence- yet Stoffel climbed the steps anyway, determined to make sure.

Once he was in the loft, he had to hunch his shoulders slightly not to bump his head in the tight space. It was very long and narrow with low ceilings. He saw nothing but darkness and hay.

He didn't even have to call his nephew's name before he began to hear whimpering somewhere ahead of him, the limited light and space forced him to get down on his hands and knees as he scrambled forward, sticking his hands around the corners of hay stacks and into piles.

"Conrart!? Conrart- is that you?" the man asked as he stuffed his hand through a hay pile and felt something that didn't feel like hay, but didn't feel like a child either. Pulling back, the man eyed his palm in the dim light.

He was holding an entire handful of toy soldiers.

 _"Conrart...?"_

Silence.

He stuck his hand into the hay pile once more, his fingers reached out tentatively until they touched something soft and warm. Almost immediately a small growling sound came from the pile and then...

 ** _"AIEEEE!"_** Stoffel screamed as something bit down on his fingers.

"Noo!"

Stoffel's fright turned immediately to shock as he heard a small voice that wasn't his own.

"No, noo!"

"Conrart!" The man gasped, reaching into the pile once more, roughly grabbing the child by the leg and dragging him kicking and screaming into his arms. "I found you!" Stoffel said as relief flooded him, making his eyes sting and his knees weak. Conrart was crying and was covered in hay but otherwise appeared to be unharmed.

What the man didn't know was that he'd scared the child half to death.

His large hand had come through the hay, reaching for Conrart in the dark, as the storm raged in the background. All of this coupled with the idea that soldiers were coming to get him had simply been too much for the boy.

Stoffel pet his hair, shushing him. "Are you alright? Conrart speak to me- are you hurt anywhere?"

" _N-no Uncle! I d-don't want to...!_ " Conrart cried, pushing hard against the man's chest with his balled fists.

" _'Don't want to'?_ Don't want to do what?" Stoffel asked as the boy shook his head; his cheeks red and his breathing unsteady.

"I-I don't w-want to go back to th-the c-cage!" he cried again, rubbing his eyes as he cried harder and Stoffel felt a pang of guilt hit him squarely in the chest.

"A-ah.. well, y-you don't have to go back to the cage." Stoffel said, trying his best to soothe the boy who continued to whimper as he began to carefully shuffle them towards the stairs, not letting go of his nephew even for a second.

"Oh no! M-my soldiers!" he cried suddenly, looking about for them with wet cheeks. "Uncle, I need my soldiers!"

"I have them, they're all here." He said, patting his pocket where he'd been collecting the toys. "Don't worry."

"O-okay... Can I have them?" he asked and Stoffel shook his head, "Just wait until we get downstairs, then I'll hand them to you." Conrart nodded obediently, allowing his uncle to carry him down the steps.

As soon as they reached the stable's ground floor, Conrart's stomach growled loudly making the boy double over in the man's arms. "Owwie...!" he whined, "I'm reallyyy hungry-"

"As am I. We're going to eat right now." he said, "I've been looking for you all day!" Conrart didn't know what to say to that, so he just rubbed his itchy eyes and sniffled. "Oh, yes! I almost forgot: your little friend Molly told me to say hello to you." Stoffel said proudly, glad that he remembered. "She was worried about you."

Conrart rested his head on his uncle's shoulder as he watched the horses. "She's not my friend anymore..." the boy said sadly and Stoffel cursed himself for forgetting that detail. "Did she say why?" He asked awkwardly, unsure how to go about this kind of conversation.

"Mmm... her momma said we can't be friends." Conrart said, taking a deep breath and relaxing further into his uncle's arms. "Are you mad at her?" He asked, eyeing the pouring rain outside the stables. "No." The boy shook his head. "She's really nice. I like her." He said with a small smile.

"Even though she doesn't want to be your friend?" He asked and the boy nodded. "Yes!" He replied happily, "She's not my friend but Molly's still my friend!" The man shook his head, wondering if his nephew's kindness would survive growing up in the Capitol- especially considering his mixed blood.

A small part of him hoped so.

* * *

Once they were back within the castle word spread quickly that the youngest prince had been found. Stoffel didn't even make it to the dining hall with the child before he was forcefully snatched from his arms by Gwendal, who insisted he would no longer be attending his studies until his Mother returned. Intent on watching his sibling instead.

He didn't even get to say good-night to the youngest prince as the boy was whisked away by his dark haired nephew.

Sighing heavily Stoffel ordered food to be delivered to his quarters and began to trudge his way to his room. He passed by maids and servants along the way that bid him good-night as they continued to put the castle back together now that the prince had been found.

Once he was within his quarters he changed into dry sleep wear, growling at the device attached to his wrist once more.

"Tomorrow I'll have a black smith remove this infernal thing." He snarled.

 **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

"Aughhh!" Stoffel nearly had a heart attack when the device chose that moment to go off— at the same time, he could hear someone knocking at his door.

 _"Sire?"_

 **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

It was Raven standing outside his bedroom door- making Stoffel curse as he let the younger man in.

 **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

"I just came to check on you my lord," Raven said with a tired smile, eyeing the flashing device the man wore.

 **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

"Raven- please help me remove this infernal device!" Stoffel cried, holding it out so that the other man could look at it.

 **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

With one single touch from Raven's slender fingers the device popped open and clattered to the floor, ceasing all noise.

"You're brilliant!" Stoffel cried with relief, wanting to hug the man, "How did you remove it!? How was it done!?"

"I'm sorry my lord but I've no idea- I did nothing but touch it."

"Excuse me! That's mine!" The men were interrupted by a blur of red as a small form darted between them, snatching the device up from the floor. "Anissina!" Stoffel growled, "Take that blasted thing and throw it away!" He ordered, "Not only does it not work, it has caused me nothing but grief!"

"You cause everyone grief but I haven't seen _you_ thrown out!" She quipped and Stoffel gasped. " _Why, **you-!**_ " He barked as she ran down the hall, looking back just before she reached a turn. "Also, it does work! I told you everyone has a true love!" She smiled devilishly before vanishing around the corner, leaving the men alone once more.

Stoffel wanted to shout out to her but Raven held up his hand, silently telling him it wasn't worth it. They shared a moment of silence before Stoffel tiredly motioned for the man to come in, who obliged, following his companion behind closed doors.

"I heard the boy was unharmed." Raven said with a small, relieved smile.

"I... I failed." Stoffel sighed, sitting on the bed. "I'm sure you already wrote my sister." He grumbled as Raven gave him an apologetic look.

"I did write her," He said, crossing his arms. "I'm sorry, Sire."

"It's not your fault- you wouldn't of had to if I had done the right thing."

There was silence, heavy yet comfortable between the two long-time friends. Raven's eyes drifted over the small vanity in the room- noticing a pile of toy soldiers sitting on the smooth surface, surrounded by bits of hay.

"I didn't even get to say good-night to him." Stoffel murmured, rubbing his tired eyes. "I suppose I deserve that."

"Prince Conrart is in bed," Raven said softly, picking up one of the toy soldiers and inspecting it closely. "These belong to the prince, yes?" Stoffel's eyes fell on the pile of soldiers as he nodded.

"Yes, I forgot to return them, everything happened so quickly..."

"Perhaps you should take a moment to visit him." his dark haired adviser said, wearing a small secretive smile. "I'm sure he would love to have his soldiers back." With that he crossed the room to the door, bidding his friend a good-night before exiting with grace.

* * *

Since he was still a child, Conrart's room was situated in the grand wing of the castle between his parent's suite and his older brother's quarters. Stoffel doubted he would find the young prince in his room given how protective Gwendal was, but the nagging guilt in his stomach made him decide to try anyway.

So, with the collection of toy soldiers safe within his night robe pocket he set out to see for himself.

He was pleasantly surprised when he encountered guards outside the child's door.

"Good evening," Stoffel greeted, nodding at the door. "Is the prince in bed?" he asked, the soldiers saluted him in return. "Yes, Sire. Prince Gwendal put him to bed not long ago."

With a nod, they allowed him to enter.

The room was dark save for the light of a single decorative lantern. Toys, books and odd-looking items, (that he could only guess came from human lands perhaps given to the boy by his father) lined the shelves around Conrart's room. "Uncle!" the boy (who was definitely not asleep) dropped from the bed and ran across the room to throw himself into his arms.

Stoffel caught the child awkwardly, allowing a small nervous chuckle to escape him as he picked the boy up and carried him back towards his bed. "I thought you would be asleep." he said as he set the child back on the bed. "What are you still doing up?"

"I'm not tired!" Conrart said excitedly and Stoffel couldn't help but pet the boy's soft hair.

"I can see that," he chuckled, sitting on the bed as the boy flopped onto the mattress, crawling closer. "I brought you something."

"Chocolate...?" He asked, looking at the man with wide eyes. Stoffel shook a finger at the boy. "No, of course not! It's far too late for chocolate." he scolded, yet the smile on the boy's face didn't falter. "Do you normally get chocolate at this hour?"

"Mmm... oh! Papa brings me chocolate before bed!" he admitted.

Stoffel scowled, the boy's father had questionable parenting skills to say the least.

"Well, I'm sorry, but it's not chocolate." Stoffel reached within his pocket, making sure to grab all of the soldiers before presenting his palm to the child.

"My soldiers!" he gasped, carefully taking them from the older man. "Oh no, one got hurt..." He said, eyeing the one that had been stepped on. Stoffel didn't know what to say as he watched the boy carefully place his soldiers on one of the shelves, overlooking his bed.

"Conrart, I wanted to apologize. I have treated you unfairly." Stoffel started, looking down at his hands. "For shouting at you earlier today and being a rather dreadful uncle." The boy turned and listened due to the man's somber tone, but his eyes continued to drift about the room.

"Okay." he replied with a smile.

"I... was out of line, I should have listened to you more and spent more time with you, instead of displacing you with the servants... I am truly sorry."

"Okay." Conrart said again, nodding as if taking directions.

"You're a very bright boy, I would like to make it up to you by spending time with you again soon. I-if your mother will ever allow it again..."

"Momma?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Yes, your mother... or even your brother, Gwendal. I fear he probably won't let me get close to you again either."

"I really like Gwendal." the boy said, laying his head on his uncle's knee.

"Do you forgive me?" Stoffel asked, trying to hide his worried tone.

He was met only with a happy smile and large brown eyes staring up at him. "Can we play Dragon again soon?" Conrart asked and Stoffel tilted his head quizzically at the child. "You... You didn't understand a word I said earlier, did you." the man chuckled, shaking his head. "Yes, Conrart- I would love to play 'Dragon' again with you sometime." minus losing the child and suffering severe anxiety because of it.

"Yayy!" the boy cheered, getting up to stand on the bed. "Roaaaarrr!" he cried, giggling.

Stoffel cleared his throat and gave it a shot: _"Roar...!"_ he said quietly, hoping the guards on the other side of the door wouldn't hear him. This sent Conrart into a giggle-fit as he collapsed on the bed into a pile of laughter and smiles.

"Alright, alright. Time for bed." Stoffel said, cheeks flushed from embarrassment as he helped tuck the prince in. "Aww..." Conrart pouted but did as he was told, crawling obediently under the covers.

"Goodnight Conrart." the man said softly, kissing the boy's hand, making him laugh again. "Night night Uncle!" he chirped, waving at him continuously until Stoffel finally exited the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Once he was in the hallway, the guards saluted him once more. If they'd heard him being silly they didn't comment on it as Stoffel turned and left, making his way back to his chambers once more. However, his heart felt lighter and his steps were calmer as he prepared for bed.

He slept soundly.

* * *

 _"Mommmaa!"_

Celi laughed as she scooped her son up, fawning over the small child. She hadn't even stepped outside of her carriage before the boy was in her arms once more. No matter how much she loved traveling she loved her children more and had missed the boys terribly.

"Welcome home, Queen Cäcilie." Raven greeted her with a bow, causing the woman to click her tongue at him. "It's Celi, Raven." she chided gently.

Just then, her husband appeared behind her, stealing the boy from her grasp. "Papa!" Conrart chirped as the man tossed the child high in the air before narrowly catching him again, sending the boy into a fit of laughter.

"Oh! I told you not to throw him like that!" Celi scolded her husband who only laughed in response.

"Welcome h-home... dear sister." Stoffel greeted pathetically, his head hung as he watched the couple approach him.

"Stoffel! It's good to be home." Celi said, sliding gracefully up to him and placing a hand on his cheek. "How was my darling Conrart?"

"I... w-well, I suppose you received Raven's letter..." he said weakly, which earned a tilt of his sister's head. "I did! However, the pigeon you had sent was sopping wet! It was as if the poor thing had been caught in a storm, the paper was completely ruined- the ink had run all over the page." she shook her head. "I hope he didn't cause you too much trouble."

Stoffel gasped, his jaw hung open in shock as he looked to Raven and locked eyes with the man.

The letter hadn't been read...

"Er... oh, no!" Stoffel said, a smile creeping onto his face. "Conrart was very obedient. We had no trouble..." Raven rolled his eyes, but cleared his throat, signaling Stoffel to say more.

"A-ah... a-and lots of fun, too! Didn't we Conrart? We had fun?"

"ROAAARRR!" Conrart cheered from his father's arms, laughing.

"Y-yes, roar! Aha..."

"Well, that's wonderful." Dan-Hiri said with a grin. "I'm glad you could watch him, _brother._ I think Gwendal needed a break as much as we did." he chuckled, patting Stoffel on the shoulder who grimaced at the contact. "Please Dan-Hiri, 'Lord von Spitzweg' is fine." He reminded the human rogue briskly, who ignored him- choosing to tickle his son breathless instead.

"Where is Gwendal?" Celi asked as they began to head back inside.

"He is assisting Anissina with an experiment." Raven said with a small, sympathetic smile.

 _"Heart-Heart-Start-kun!"_ Conrart shouted happily.

"Oh, I see." Celi laughed, giving her husband a knowing look.

"They'll be busy for a while." Dan-Hiri said with a charming smile.

At that moment smoke could be seen rising from one of the many spires of Blood Pledge Castle.

 _ **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**_

 _ **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**_

 _ **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**_ _ **  
**_

 _Everyone has a true love..._


	3. Interlude

Stoffel sat at the dining table in the grand hall of Covenant Castle, surrounded by family and colleagues.

Practically everyone was present: the Maoh and his adopted daughter Greta, his nephews (Gwendal, Wolfram and Conrart), Gunter, Anissina, Raven, his sister Celi, even that weird man- what was his name? Yozrad? Regardless- it wasn't often that they were all able to enjoy a meal together like this and even though Stoffel was still upset about being ejected from the Aristocratic meeting earlier that week, he tried to relax and enjoy the company.

"It's a place outside of Svelera, a natural hot spring." Lord Weller said with a relaxed smile.

"That sounds amazing~" Yuuri sighed, hugging his daughter who sat on his lap.

"Maybe we can all go soon- as a vacation get-away!" Greta shouted, stars in her eyes. "I agree! How lovely..." Celi said, hooked as soon as she had heard the word _'vacation.'_ "You know, Dan-Hiri and I visited that spring once. Do you remember, Gwendal?" she asked, her chin resting in her hand.

Gwendal grumbled inaudibly, choosing not to reply and leaving Conrart to answer her on his own.

"I think I remember..." the brunette said carefully. "Did it have large sand bear statues at the entrance...?"

"Yes! I'm surprised you remember, you were so little!" the queen giggled. "We had such a wonderful time. Gwendal was able to pet baby sand bears, there."

"It's a place for _lovers_ , Yuuri." Wolfram said, leaning on his elbow and giving the king a half-lidded look. Yuuri only responded with a nervous chuckle, avoiding his 'fiance's' eyes. "That's hardly relevant, seeing that his majesty wants to travel there for educational purposes!" Gunter interjected, staring daggers into the blonde.

"Have all of you lost your minds? There's far too much work to be done to allow such a venture!" Gwendal snapped, rubbing his brow as he took a deep sip of his wine. "Well, my invention that completes paperwork is almost finished!" Anissina clapped, her eyes sparkling. "Once it's ready we can all afford to take such a trip!"

 ** _"No!"_** Several of the table's occupants said at once, and a lone "Yes!" was heard from Greta.

Yozak chuckled. "The spring opens up for the season in about a month or so, kid." the spy said, eating with his hands. "So, if you want to venture out there it probably wouldn't be too soon anyway."

"Did you just call his majesty _'kid-'!?_ " Stoffel said with disgust, eyeing the boorish man.

"Oh, my apologies." Yozak said, clearing his throat and correcting himself: " _Kiddo_." he winked at Stoffel, delicately picking food from his teeth with a thin fish bone.

 _Tch! Such a disrespectful slob...!_

Conrart sat on the other side of Yozak, giving him a sideways look that the spy easily recognized. It was the captain's way of silently saying: _'Don't purposely irritate Stoffel. If you continue, I'll make you regret it.'_ Yozak rolled his eyes at his captain and relented.

As the conversation carried on, going from one grand idea to the next- Gwendal finally stood with a sigh and politely excused himself from the dining room.

Once his steady steps had faded completely, Yuuri broke the silence. "Is he okay?" the king asked, eyeing the empty seat where the man had been- before locking eyes with his godfather. "Yes, heika. He will be fine. I'm sure he's just feeling tired." Lord Weller insisted with a disarming smile. Stoffel's eyes softened at the man- while he sometimes couldn't stand his brunette nephew, he was coming to appreciate the curve of his smile and what it did to soothe those around him.

However, he couldn't bother to comment. The sight of Gwendal stalking away had made him grow nostalgic once more as the conversation continued to flow on without him. Of his three nephews he'd respected Gwendal the most. It was a shame that what little bond they had fell apart completely shorty after the boy entered his sixth decade.

Thinking back, Stoffel recalled the summer his dark haired nephew had come to stay at his manor- reliving his memories of the moments they had shared.


	4. My Nephew Gwendal

_This was suppose to be a Stoffel/Gwen bonding fic but Gwendal/Conrart sort of stole the show! Sorry-! I hope it's enjoyable anyway! :)  
_

* * *

The flowers in the garden were in full bloom, the sun was shining and Covenant Castle was full of commotion.

The queen, Cäcilie von Spitzweg was just about ready to give birth to her second child, expecting to welcome him or her into the world within the next few weeks. Gwendal was just about ready to lose his mind from all the courtiers telling him he was going to be _'such a good big brother!'_ and that the little prince or princess was going to be _'sooooo cute!'_ he couldn't make it three feet down any hall without hearing someone commenting about the event.

However, not all of the baby-talk around the castle was positive.

Because his mother's new husband was a human there were whispers that her child, (his new brother or sister) was going to be half-human.

Rumor had it that the country and its people wouldn't allow such a distasteful birth to take place in the capitol, least of all in such an esteemed place as Covenant Castle that there might be a riot and possibly even an assassination attempt on the Queen's or her child's life. Gwendal didn't fully understand it but he got the gist as he watched his mother's servants packing her belongings for her. His mother was leaving the castle to travel to neutral territory, a place called Luttenberg to give birth.

She had to because _that man_ was human and humans were the sworn enemy of the Demon Tribe.

 _"It's only for a few weeks," she had said, petting his hair as he looked up at her face past her swollen belly. "Once your brother or sister is born, we'll come back to the castle and you'll be the first to meet them."_

 _"I don't want to meet them." Gwendal replied bitterly, "I don't understand why I have to go to Uncle Stoffel's- why can't I go with you?"_

 _"Oh, Gwennie do not say that!" she said sternly, "You're going to be a big brother and I'm going to need your help. I'm sure Uncle Stoffel can't wait to spend time with you."_

 _She couldn't say it... but she was sending her little prince to her brother's manor to ensure- (should the worst happen) that at least her first born son would be safe._

 _"I'm sure once you finally meet the little one, you'll adore them."_

That had been yesterday- today his mother was boarding her carriage to leave the country and Gwendal could only watch her from the castle steps and sigh.

"I'm jealous!"

The cheerful, booming voice of Dan-Hiri Weller said as a large, heavy hand landed on Gwendal's shoulder.

"You're going to have such a great time hanging out with your dear ol' Uncle Stoffel over at his place. You'll probably get plenty of good sleep too, without a baby- or your mother- crying all the time, waking you up..."

 _"Don't touch me!"_

Dan-Hiri's hand only retreated for a second before it came right back, this time landing atop Gwendal's head, mussing up his carefully combed locks. "I'm joking, of course. Stoffel seems like a _major_ bore. Hopefully your mom will pop out the baby in a week or less so you don't have to stay there too long. If it takes longer, I'm real sorry bud. My heart goes out to you."

"I don't need your sympathy." Gwendal's steely glare sent Dan-Hiri into a fit of deep laughter as he slapped the boy's back, making him stagger forward a step. "Anyway, kid- having a sibling is great! Not that I've ever had one... but that's what everyone tells me!"

"I hope my mother comes back a widow." Gwendal growled through clenched teeth, making Dan Hiri's eyes glitter as he bent down and held a finger in front of the boy's face. "Hey now, you better watch that tongue _or I'll cut it off._ " he warned.

Gwendal couldn't tell if he was serious or not, the man's tone was playful but his eyes were dark.

 _"Tch!"_

"Dani~" his mother called, waving out the carriage window. "Did you remember to ask the maid to bring my satchel?"

"Errr..." Dan-Hiri scratched his head. "Nope! But it's too late for that now, my love. Let's be off!"

"What!? Dan-Hiri Weller! You go back inside and get that bag or _so help me-!_ " With a wink, Dan Hiri disappeared inside the carriage and Gwendal watched in despair as it took off, flanked by a small army of guards.

He stood alone in the courtyard and watched until he couldn't hear his mother shouting at her husband anymore.

"Are you ready to head out as well, Lord Voltaire?" Raven asked, approaching the young boy slowly from behind. "Let's go." Gwendal snapped, allowing the older man to lead him to his own carriage.

Their destination? His uncle's manor: The von Spitzweg Estate.

* * *

Gwendal watched as his uncle's soldiers unloaded what little supplies he needed for the unknown amount of time he would be spending at the man's estate.

"Stoffel is currently busy dealing with matters of state." Raven said, leading the boy up the large front steps and down the manor's long halls to his temporary accommodations. "I'm sure he would have loved to see you arrive, but you'll have a chance to see him at dinner." Gwendal didn't know what to say to that, so he kept his mouth shut as Raven opened a heavy wooden door to an ordinate bedroom.

"These will be your quarters for the time being." he said, opening the thick, velvet curtains to shed light on the space. "Is it to your liking?" he asked, pausing to examine the boy's face.

"It's fine." he grumbled, setting his own personal bag down on the bed.

"Should you need anything don't hesitate to ask for me. I'll be glad to assist you."

"Thanks..."

With that, and a bow- Raven left Gwendal alone at last.

With a weary sigh, the prince opened his personal bag and emptied its contents onto the bed. A ball of soft yarn, knitting needles, a half-finished knitted project, (that looked suspiciously like a baby's toy...) a few different books- (some for pleasure, some for study) and last but not least: a familiar, worn blanket.

The blanket was special- it was one he'd had since he was an infant.

It brought back memories of his father- memories of being wrapped in its soft warmth and cradled in his father's large arms during thunder storms or long winter nights where the wind would howl. Gwendal could remember sitting on the man's couch in his office, wrapped in the blanket as he read or played with toys- watching his father work.

Fighting back bitter feelings of sadness, Gwendal shoved the blanket back into the bag. However, as he did- something he'd overlooked fell out and onto the mattress before him.

It was a letter, wrapped in a rose-colored envelope that Gwendal didn't remember packing.

 _'Dear Grumpy,'_

Gwendal rolled his eyes, it was from Anissina.

 _'I know you're going away for a while and you'll be separated from Lady Celi and Lord Weller so I had the maids pack you one of my inventions in case you get lonely.'_

 _Tch!_ As if he'd ever resort to using one of her inventions for anything, least of all loneliness!

 _'I can't wait to see the new baby! Hopefully you won't be gone long, I have a lot of inventions and experiments I need your help with when you get back. - The Poison Girl Anissina '_

Not seeing the insane inventor was one of the only pro's on a long list of con's this trip held for him.

Gwendal shoved the note inside the front cover of a book just as a knock was heard at the door.

"My lord," it was a soldier- flanked by two more. "Where would you like us to put this...?" behind the men was a large trunk, big enough to hide a person inside. "W-what is it?" Gwendal asked, eyeing the trunk suspiciously... all of his clothes had already been unpacked by the maids. He didn't remember seeing this trunk when they had loaded up the carriage at the castle.

"It says: _'Let-Me-Be-Yours-Kun!'_ " the soldier read the flowery label on the side of the trunk aloud.

"N-no! Don't bring it in here!" Gwendal's voice wavered, making the men raise their eyebrows at him. "J-just...leave it outside! Get it out of my room!"

The first soldier bowed to him. "Yes, my lord... May I ask, is it dangerous?"

Gwendal made a face... well, so long as no one opened the box or used their maryoku on it, whatever Anissina had invented _probably_ wouldn't explode all on it's own.

"N-not really, no..."

"Alright, we shall place outside your door in the hall. It is very heavy so should you need to move it, please let us know."

Once the soldiers left he gave a sigh of relief and put his knitting tools away before heading outside, he needed to bathe before it was time for dinner.

* * *

The dining room was eerily quiet as Gwendal ate alone at a table set for seven.

A dozen or more servants stood nearby, nervously flitting about him. Each one had been assigned to refill certain sections of the table: bread, wine, dessert, sauce, etc. yet- with only one person dining... they quickly became redundant; borderline annoying, even.

Gwendal would eat one piece of bread and a whole new loaf he wasn't going to eat would appear. He would take a sip of juice only to have the sip instantly refilled. He was use to servants, but this was ridiculous! Not to mention the silence was sickeningly awkward. Thankfully the large door to the dining hall opened just as Gwendal felt he was about to suffocate.

"Prince Gwendal," Raven greeted as he entered the large, echoing room. "I apologize, Lord Stoffel is still occupied by matters of the state- he sent me to check on you." the man sat at the table across from him as a servant began to assist him in filling a plate. He took note of how nervous they were. It wasn't often that a member of the royal family came all the way from Covenant Castle to visit the von Spitzweg estate- usually it was the other way around. Not to mention this time their guest was none other than the adorable crown prince.

"How's the meal?" he asked with a small smile, that was met with grumpy blue eyes and a solid frown.

"It's fine."

Although Gwendal was glad another person that was allowed to talk to him had joined the table- he wasn't much in the mood for conversation as he picked at his food and listened to Raven speak. Raven filled the prince in about daily routines at the manor and the different sections of maids, servants, guards and soldiers and how to distinguish them from one another. He spoke of the gardens and the baths and of the lesser traveled areas within the manor, such as the library and observatory.

"Not to pry or change the subject, Gwendal, but are you hoping your mother will have a son or a daughter?" Raven asked, trying to change the subject to something a little more light-hearted.

"I'm hoping she doesn't have either." Gwendal grumbled, eliciting a small gasp from one of the maids. Gwendal shot her a dirty look.

"I see..."

Just then, the doors to the hall opened once more revealing Lord Stoffel at last. The stocky older man made his way to the table, shoo-ing away the maids who followed him in an attempt to remove his cape. "Gwendal, welcome! I was afraid I wouldn't make it in time to see you." Stoffel said with a large false grin, sitting in the seat directly next to his nephew. "I'm glad to see you haven't finished yet. Have you been adjusting well enough?"

"I'm almost done." Gwendal said quietly, eyeing his uncle. "I'm adjusting just fine."

"We were just talking about Gwendal's new sibling." Raven said, giving the blonde man a cautionary look. "He doesn't seem pleased, perhaps you can lend him some of your advice- seeing that you're the eldest of two siblings..."

Stoffel shook his head at his nephew as he began to dig into his plate. "I hope for your sake it's a boy." the man said. "Although I adore my sister, growing up with her as my younger sibling was... erhermmm..." he took a deep sip of his wine.

Raven's carefully maintained smile fell into a scowl. _Damnit! Stoffel was suppose to say how wonderful it was to be an older brother- not this!_

"All of your parent's attention is going to be on that child for quite some time." he continued, making Raven grow more pale. "So, it may do you good to get use to receiving sloppy seconds..."

"As the first prince and beloved son of the Maoh," Raven cut in, "I highly doubt he will be overlooked." Stoffel shook his head, a distant, resigned look in his eyes.

"I use to tell myself that... before my sister was born..." he sighed wistfully.

Gwendal cleared his throat, pushing his plate slightly away from himself.

"Ah, yes!" Stoffel clapped, "Did you enjoy the Bearbee?" he asked, motioning towards the boy's empty plate.

It took a moment- but the room eventually fell dead silent as Gwendal's eyes grew wide. He turned slowly, until he was looking into his uncle's eyes.

" _B-bearbee...?_ "

"Yes, the meat! It's very rare, I don't think they even allow the hunting or selling of it in the capitol- but out here it can be found for a price. It's wonderfully tender, don't you think?"

Gwendal suddenly leapt to his feet, pushing his chair back so violently that it crashed to the floor.

"H-how could you!?" he shouted, face red. "B-bearbees are a protected species!"

Stoffel's shock mirrored Gwendal's as he set his fork down, dabbing his face with a napkin. "In the capitol they're protected but out here they're open for hunting..."

"They're h-harmless!" he sputtered, feeling ill. This must be a joke-!

"So are elk- well, save for their grazing habits." Stoffel mused, "Are you alright Gwendal? Don't tell me you're upset over a little Bearbee meat..."

With that, Gwendal stormed out of the hall to his room, doing everything in his power to keep himself from lashing out (and potentially using his maryoku) in anger.

"My lord," Raven sighed dramatically, resting his head in his hand once the prince had vanished, "Why did you have to request to serve Bearbee?"

"What!? What's wrong with it?" Stoffel gaped, pointing a fork at the empty seat where his nephew had been, "I thought it would be nice to have for such an occasion!"

"Are you not aware? Prince Gwendal loves animals." Raven said, "Especially animals that are... pleasing to look at."

"Bearbees are pleasing to look at...?" Stoffel said skeptically as he ate a piece of the meat. _"Hardly!"_

"All I'm saying," Raven said quietly as he stood to leave, "Is the prince will be here for some time, perhaps... you should try to learn his likes and dislikes so this doesn't occur again." Stoffel watched him go, mouth agape.

It wasn't his fault that his sister was raising her son to be a sensitive whelp!

* * *

Gwendal sat sprawled out on one of the many dusty arm chairs in the library, gazing listlessly at the ceiling.

 _Two weeks._

It had been two whole weeks of nothing but mind numbing boredom.

Wake up and eat breakfast alone (or with Raven), go to the grand hall with Raven and study for five to seven hours, eat lunch alone (or with Stoffel), go to the garden to practice swordsmanship with Sir Rolland- the captain of the guard, then dinner alone (or with Raven and Stoffel) then he had free time for a few hours before preparing for bed.

This had been his routine for the past 20 days or so and he saw no end in sight. The only excitement he got was in trying to avoid his uncle between meals.

 _'Please,'_ he pleaded to Shinou or Soshou or anyone who would listen, _'please let my mother give birth already so I can be saved from this purgatory...'_

Sitting up slowly, Gwendal removed the knitting project he'd been working and the book he'd been reading from his lap. He was startled when something fell out of the book and onto the floor. It was Anissina's letter- he'd almost completely forgotten about it.

Picking it up, he re-read it one more time.

 _'...I had the maids pack you one of my inventions in case you get lonely...'_

He wasn't lonely or a masochist... but he was _very, **very**_ _bored..._

No. It wasn't worth it.

Gwendal shoved the letter into his pocket as he stood from the chair and made his way out of the library.

He needed to speak with his uncle, before he lost his mind completely.

* * *

Stoffel was surprised when, after nearly two weeks of avoiding him, his nephew suddenly turned up in the entrance to his office.

"Uncle," Gwendal addressed him, "I want a horse."

"Er..." Stoffel scratched his head, "W-well, as you may know... I'm in charge of your safety while you're here..." he said carefully, looking anywhere but at his nephew. "I think it's for the best if you stay within the walls of the estate."

"There's no point in having a horse if I can't ride it outside the garden." Gwendal grit out, "You can send Sir Rolland with me if you must- but I should be allowed to explore outside the manor."

"Sir Rolland has his duties here, he is not a babysitter." Stoffel said, standing his ground. However, he still flinched when his nephew slammed his fist down upon his desk. _"H-hey- watch it-!"_

"He is the captain of the guard in your estate, how is his duty not in protecting the crown prince? Also, I am NOT a baby!" Gwendal snapped, forcing Stoffel to stand- using his height to try and intimidate his nephew.

"You will watch your tone when addressing me!" Stoffel said, looking down at the boy.

Silence fell between them as they glared at each other- both equally stubborn...

Stoffel caved first upon seeing his nephew's desperate expression. "Fine." he sighed, turning away. "You'll be allowed a horse- under the conditions that Raven or Sir Rolland will accompany you on every ride you take and that you'll only be allowed to ride in the daytime- no further than the first district." Gwendal's shoulders relaxed as he breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Thank you, uncle." he said, giving the older man a small smile before darting out of the office- leaving him alone once more.

Stoffel slumped, boneless in his chair. Damnit, all! His nephew had learned that he could manipulate him with his expressions! It wasn't fair!

However... he was smart, he'd give the boy that. _'He's just like his father...'_ Stoffel thought fondly as he remembered the respectable demon- who'd been a far cry from his sister's current churlish choice of a mate. A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts as he looked up to see Raven entering the room.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I overheard..." Raven said with a smile, "You're allowing the prince a horse, if he is accompanied?"

"Raven! Yes, well... So long as you or Sir Rolland accompanies him, I don't see the harm in letting him outside the manor for a while..." Stoffel said, defeat in his voice. Raven came closer as he spoke, long fingers ghosting up Stoffel's arms as he stood behind the seated man.

"Perhaps you should go on a ride with him," his dark haired adviser said, as he began massaging Stoffel's stiff neck and shoulders with his hands. "It'd be a wonderful opportunity for you to get to know your nephew."

"Hrmm... I don't think he would enjoy that very much." he grumbled, allowing himself to relax into the other's grip. "You never know," the man replied, "You both could come back thick as thieves."

Stoffel looked up at his friend's up-side down face.

"You really believe so?" he murmured and Raven smiled.

"I'm sure of it."

"You may be right... but more importantly, I need to tell him about his mother..." Stoffel said quietly.

"You haven't told him-?" Raven asked in shock, tilting his head at his companion.

"How could I? What could possibly be the right time to tell him something like this...?"

"Soon." Raven said firmly, "You should tell him soon, he deserves to know." he squeezed his friend's shoulders, before running his fingers through Stoffel's hair. "Tomorrow... If I don't receive any new news. I'll tell him." he sighed, giving in once more partly due to the man's administrations.

"It's going to be alright," Raven assured him softly, "It'll turn out for the best..."

* * *

Gwendal had awoke early the next morning, intent on starting his day with a leisurely horseback ride around the countryside.

He'd thought the act would help ease his cabin fever- but all thoughts of enjoying the ride flew out the window when he realized his uncle was going to be the only one accompanying him on his jaunt.

He could stomach a ride with Raven, Sir Rolland or any of the guards- but his uncle...?

"Well now!" Stoffel said, taking a deep breath of fresh air from atop his horse. "It's a fine day for a ride, isn't it?"

Gwendal immediately dismounted and began to head inside.

"W-wha- Gwendal, wait!" the man called out, "Where are you going!?"

He didn't make it far before he had to stop dead in his tracks. No, it wasn't his uncle's desperate words that made him stop- it was Raven's tall frame stubbornly blocking his way back inside. After a few minutes of pointlessly fussing with the two men, Gwendal found himself reluctantly leaving the courtyard on horseback alongside his uncle. His only solace was in the thought that perhaps at some point he could make a break for it and separate from Stoffel for some real fun around the town- after all, he had his sword and his Earth maryoku to protect him if need be.

They rode, (never going faster than a leisurely trot) past the manor's town and through the forest until they reached a long, well-traveled dirt path. The path was covered by a canopy of overgrown tree branches with a creek on one side, and rolling hills and farmland on the other.

It would have actually been somewhat enjoyable if his uncle would _just stop talking._

"Such a lovely day!" Stoffel said for the third time in half an hour, making Gwendal groan as he felt a headache coming on. "Have you ever gone on any long trips, Gwendal?" the prince was silent for a moment as he remembered a camping trip his mother had forced him to take a few months back with Dan-Hiri Weller.

It had been the single worst experience of his life.

Reluctantly he forced himself to converse with the man. "Mother forced me to go camping recently," he said bitterly, "with Dan-Hiri..."

"Oh..." Stoffel's face winced with sympathy as he looked back at the young prince, "I can't imagine that was much fun, was it...?"

"No." Gwendal grit out. "I hated it."

"He's not very elegant, is he." Stoffel said with a rueful grin. "He's disgusting." Gwendal replied with a frown.

"We had to hunt for fish in a river... he tried to teach me how to bite the poor thing's head off before cooking it." he shivered at the traumatizing memory.

"How barbaric!" his uncle said, shaking his head in disapproval. "Why in the world would you mother send you on such a trip?"

Gwendal shrugged in irritation. "She wanted me to bond with him." he said bitterly, looking out over the scenery.

 _'Just like she's doing now, sending me here to stay with you...'_ he thought to himself.

"Just so you know, I always thought your father was a great man." Stoffel said, turning back over his shoulder to look at his nephew. "He was wonderful to your mother, despite their arranged marriage and I know they loved each other very much. Dan-Hiri Weller cannot hold a candle to his memory."

 _'I know.'_ Gwendal thought to himself, looking down at his hands.

"It's an insult that she would try to replace his presence in your life with that human."

Gwendal rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand as he felt tears prickling up there. Thankfully his uncle was no longer looking at him, instead keeping his eyes on the path ahead. They rode in silence for a while, Stoffel lost in his memories and Gwendal attempting to get his emotions under control before the man spoke once more.

"S-speaking of your m-mother... I wanted to tell you about your sibling..."

Gwendal wanted to curse- he just _knew_ the conversation would eventually end up here.

"I wanted to tell you this earlier but I thought it would be best if you and I were alone." Stoffel said, slowing down his horse until he was riding along side his nephew. "I didn't want to worry you in case it was nothing but I haven't received any new news... so I'll tell you what I know as of now."

"W-what? What is it?" He hadn't been expecting such a serious tone from his uncle. "H-have you heard from my mother...?" he asked nervously.

Stoffel wasn't sure how to tell the young prince... but he'd received bad news from his sister.

She was having complications.

If his sister _(Shinou forbid!)_ didn't survive this curs-ed _human_ pregnancy... It would affect his nephew the most; emotionally and otherwise. As the crown prince, he would be next in line to take the throne as soon as he was of age.

"I received a letter from her yesterday- s-she ah... went into labor early yesterday morning but she's... still in labor as of now." he said, trying to hide the worry in his tone.

"W-what?" the boy gasped, his brow furrowing in confusion. "I thought that when they... go into labor... the baby is born immediately-?"

"It's hardly an immediate thing, but you are correct. It shouldn't be taking this long." he said quietly.

"What does that mean?" Gwendal demanded as Stoffel slumped his shoulders. "We don't know... the birth can still be successful or... the child might not survive or sometimes it means the m-mother might not survive... sometimes it means both won't." Stoffel had to look away- his nephew's horror-stricken features were too much.

There was silence as Gwendal felt faint- his breathing shallow and rough. _'This can't be happening...'_ he thought to himself as his vision began to blur with tears. When Stoffel finally gathered the strength needed to comfort his nephew- the boy was already in the process of turning his horse around.

 _"W-wait-! Where are you going!?"_

Gwendal ignored him as he violently turned his steed around and kicked the beast into a full-blown gallop. His uncle's frantic voice faded behind him as he rode with the wind in his hair the entire way back to the manor.

Never in all of his petty thoughts had he ever even considered that his mother's pregnancy wouldn't go well- that she could possibly... _that she might..._

 _That she might die, just like his father._

* * *

Gwendal missed lunch that day, turning away guards, maids and even Raven as he cried frustrated, angry tears into his pillow.

His mother could be dying and he wasn't with her-  
she could be dying and it was all Dan-Hiri Weller's fault-  
she could be _dying_ and he had been so _selfish._

Guilt, anger and sadness waged a bitter war within his chest as he clutched the blanket his father had given him. He couldn't imagine a life where his mother was no longer with him. If she passed away- Dan-Hiri would be king until Gwendal was old enough to take the throne.

He would have to _live under the man who killed his mother..._

These thoughts only made the young prince cry harder, his maryoku rippling out of him in waves as he tried to get his emotions under control. Another knock came on the door as Gwendal covered his head with a pillow.

 _"Gwendal, it's your uncle."_ Stoffel's voice was muffled by the thick wood. _"Please open the door, it's nearly dinner time."_

"Go away!" he screamed.

 _"It does no good to worry,"_ Stoffel said, _"I know you're hungry so if you would please open the door perhaps we could..."_

"I'm not hungry!"

Stoffel sighed, taking out his key ring. He wondered if he was even capable of comforting the prince about this matter. He had to try... it was painful to see his nephew in so much distress. "I'm coming in, Gwendal." Stoffel warned as he began to turn his key in the lock.

Suddenly, the door had opened so quickly that the keys were pulled right out of his hands.

"Leave me alone!" Gwendal shouted, standing in the doorway with mussed hair and red-rimmed eyes. His chest was heaving with hysterical breaths.

"You-you're using your maryoku, control yourself!" Stoffel gasped upon witnessing the small sparks and ripples of power radiating off the child. "If you don't learn how to contain your maryoku and separate your emotions-"

"Shut up!" He snapped, trying to slam the door shut once more, only to find it blocked by his uncle's boot.

 _"Ow! Ow! Ow!"_ the man hissed as the door slammed his foot repeatedly. "Stop that-!"

Both of them were suddenly interrupted by a loud **BANG** and rattling as the heavy metal trunk near Gwendal's bedroom door began to tremble violently- perhaps reacting to the maryoku the child had been unconsciously emitting into the hall. Gwendal's eyes grew wide as he and his uncle stared at the box which held the label: _'Let-Me-Be-Yours-Kun!'  
_  
As if the box was aware that it was being watched, it ceased all movement- sitting motionless and silent once more.

He and his uncle shared a concerned look.

"What is-"

Stoffel didn't even get to finish his sentence before the box _exploded_ : throwing both of them off their feet as smoke instantly flooded the hallway.

"A-auch..." Gwendal groaned, sitting up and rubbing his head from where it had hit the stone floor. _'A-Anissina...! I'm going to throttle her!'_ he thought as he slowly got to his feet, squinting through the smog.

 _"Lord Stoffel! Prince Gwendal!"_

The guards called out to them- their heavy footsteps filling the air as they frantically searched for the nobles amidst the smoke and chaos.

 **{"LET'S BE FRIENDS."}**

"Wh-what is that thing-!?" Gwendal heard one of the guards gasp as a figure began to slowly rise through the smoke.

 **{"LET'S BE FRIENDS."}**

"Augghhh!" the guard screamed as the sound of metal against metal could be heard.

"Gwendal!?" he heard his uncle calling for him, "Gwendal where are you!?"

"I'm here!" he called back, coughing.

"Are you unharmed!?"

"Y-yes!"

He could hear movement as the soldiers ran about in a panic and his uncle's voice grew closer. "What in the world is that thing!?"

Gwendal gritted his teeth as the smoke began to clear and he was faced with Anissina's 'gift' to him: _'Let-Me-Be-Yours-Kun!'_

or in other words: _Giant-Metal-Monster-Kun..._

 _"Anissina what have you done!?"_ Gwendal hissed, backing away from the creature that looked like... it looked like... the young prince paled. It looked like a **giant metal version of Anissina** \- only about 8 feet tall with glowing red eyes, claws and sharp-looking metal strips for hair. Once the visibility in the hall increased there was a collective gasp as all members came face-to-face with the monster.

"My lord!" Raven called out to Stoffel, "It's unsafe here, please take the prince and go!" Gwendal looked over at his uncle who was only a few feet away from him now. The hallway was split into two groups: Raven and the guards on one side, Stoffel and himself on the other and _'Let-Me-Be-Yours-Kun!'_ in the middle.

 **{"LET'S BE FRIENDS."}**

The monster said as if it was speaking through a metal pipe, it's eyes began to glow a fierce red as it's entire body shuttered and groaned.

"Look out!" Sir Rolland shouted as the creature aimed at Gwendal and fired some strange light from it's eyes. Gwendal only briefly felt the heat of the light before his uncle had yanked him out of the way by his arm as the beast completely decimated the spot where he'd been standing. Upon seeing the sheer destruction the invention could cause, the guards began to tremble in their armor- clanking and clattering as they attempted to stand their ground.

"R-run!" Stoffel squawked as he turned on his heel and fled, dragging his nephew as he made haste down the hall.

"Y-you coward! W-what about Raven!?" Gwendal shouted as he tried to plant his feet to no avail. His uncle didn't answer him as he continued to drag the prince to safety, leaving Sir Rolland, Raven and the guards to handle the beast alone.

* * *

Raven sighed in relief as he watched Stoffel and Gwendal disappear down the hall. In the very least, they would be safe.

"Stand your ground, men!" Sir Rolland shouted, raising his sword as he rushed forward in a flash of bravery, striking the creature upon it's chest with a loud metallic _'CLANG!'_

 **{"LET'S BE FRIENDS."}**

The creature's eyes glowed once more as they focused on Sir Rolland's blade, engulfing it in red light. He was forced to drop the red-hot sword with a yelp as it melted into a steaming pile of scrap metal upon the ground...

...

...

"R-run away...!" Sir Rolland shouted, as his men bravely turned and fled, leaving the creature to lay waste to the hallway in their wake.

"W-wait, we can't just leave it here, it'll destroy the manor!" Raven shouted as Sir Rolland dragged him down the hall to safety. "We're outmatched!" the captain of the guard shouted, "It's best to get to a safe place and send for back-up!"

"What if back-up can not defeat it!?" one of the guards shouted as they descended into the basement through a hidden staircase. "We'll deal with that when the time comes." the captain replied, as several men pushed the heavy stone door shut, sealing them within a hidden labyrinth of stone hallways beneath the estate.

"What about Lord Stoffel and the prince?" Raven asked nervously.

"Lord Stoffel knows of the labyrinth, doesn't he? He grew up in this manor." Sir Rolland said, as they began to traverse the maze.

"Y-yes... he does, I just hope he remembers how to enter them..."

"Once we reach the exit we'll be in the forest. We'll send for assistance from there and send a search party to find them."

"I'll go." Raven said firmly, stopping in his tracks. "I'll travel the labyrinth alone and find them, you send for assistance."

"You shouldn't go alone-!"

"That's an order!" Raven said, turning on his heel and running in the opposite direction. "I'll be fine, just go!"

* * *

 _'A finger length.'_ Gwendal thought.

One measly finger length was all the space Gwendal had between him and his uncle as they huddled in fear- their backs pressed against the door of a closet in one of the many hallways within the estate. It was incredibly cramped and a mop kept toppling over in the dark, falling in his face.

"What is that thing?" Stoffel hissed as he prodded the wall in front of them. "Why in the world would you bring such a thing into my manor!?"

"It's not mine!" Gwendal snapped, " _Anissina-"_

"It doesn't matter," the man groaned, "My estate is done for..."

"We have to move." Gwendal said through clenched teeth, fighting with the mop once more. He would push the offending object back just so a broom could fall in it's place.

"Just be quiet!" Stoffel hissed as dust rattled down from the ceiling signifying that the monster had entered the hallway they were hiding in. Gwendal held in a sneeze as the slow, heavy steps of the creature loomed closer. "It's going to find us-" Gwendal murmured, "Can you hurry up?!"

"I don't remember how to open it!" Stoffel cried in despair, "There's suppose to be a secret doorway here-!"

"Are you sure this is the right closet?" Gwendal asked as he heard the beast's footsteps stop nearby. Both of them held their breath and Stoffel began to quietly pray as the monster's metal claws scraped against the stone walls.

 **{"LET'S BE FRIENDS."}**

 _"Dear Shinou..."_ Stoffel whimpered, clutching his nephew to him with bruising force. "G-get off me-!" Gwendal gasped, trying to push the older man away.

Miraculously the beast continued lumbering down the hall, ignoring the closet completely as it burned holes in the windows and tore down paintings. When the hallway was quiet once more, Stoffel breathed a sigh of relief and let go of his nephew. They sat in silence for a moment, to frightened to move.

"G-Gwendal... I wanted to say... if we don't make it out of here alive-"

 **"Don't."** Gwendal groaned, pushing the mop out of his face once more.

"I care deeply about you-"

 _"Uncle, please-"_

"I'm just trying to say that I-"

"Auuuuggh!" Gwendal cried in distress, shoving his fingers in his ears. "Help!"

"This is important you brat!" Stoffel shouted, grabbing his nephew's hands and prying them from his ears, "I wanted to say that, regardless of whatever happens, I-" Just then, the door to the closet opened outwards causing both of them to fall ungracefully into a heap on the floor.

"There you are!" Raven said, kneeling down to help the two nobles to their feet. "I was so worried!"

 _"Raven!"_ they said in unison.

"What are you doing out in the open? It's dangerous-" Stoffel said, glancing around in fear.

"It'll be alright," Raven said, "But we must get going-"

As if on que, _'Let-Me-Be-Yours-Kun!'_ appeared from around the corner it had just turned down- it's glowing eyes focusing on the trio once more.

Stoffel squealed, leaping back inside the closet as Gwendal stepped towards the monster. "What do you think you're doing?!" Stoffel snapped at his nephew as he attempted to drag Raven into the closet with him.

"Enough!" Gwendal shouted, rolling up his sleeves. "I can't believe Anissina made such a useless, awful device! I'm going to put a stop to this!"

"Sire, wait!" Raven cried as Gwendal placed his hands upon the ground, sparks radiating from his palms. "Hear me, beings within the Earth!" he called upon his magic as the stone floor began to shatter beneath him. "Take this!" he shouted, causing a wave of rock and debris to rush towards the figure. Within moments a tidal wave nearly ten foot high engulfed the monster completely, covering it with heavy rocks and jagged marble. Once the dust from the attack had settled, Gwendal stood up and brushed his hands on his pants, looking proud.

"That was incredible, Sire!" Raven said with a smile, as Stoffel could only stare with a slack jaw. "I know." Gwendal said with a satisfied smirk, closing his eyes triumphantly. However... his victory didn't last long.

Almost immediately after it had settled- the pile of rocks that had crushed the beast exploded as a large metallic arm shot out, grabbing Gwendal by the waist and dragging him across the shattered floor. The creature slowly stood once more, pulling the prince into the air.

"Gwendal, no!" Stoffel shouted, but his legs refused to move as he cowered in fear behind his companion.

"L-let go of me!" Gwendal shouted as the creature dangled him in space.

 **{"LET'S BE FRIENDS."}**

"I don't want to be your friend!" He shouted, kicking the monster, his blows echoing throughout it's hollow chest. The beast then hugged him close, nearly crushing him in a tight embrace.

 **{"LET'S BE FRIENDS."}**

"Nooooo!" Gwendal shouted, "G-get off!" he looked into the creature's glowing eyes and suddenly realization began to dawn on him... perhaps Anissina made the invention not to accept 'no' for an answer... If he was lonely- he would probably be stubborn... Not to mention she certainly didn't accept no for an answer and the invention appeared to have been made in her image...

"Gwendal, hold on!" Raven shouted as he got to his feet and began to desperately make his way over the broken rocks to assist the prince.

 _"A-alright! You win!"_ Gwendal gasped, barely able to breathe as his vision blurred. _"I-I'll be y-yours, A-Anissina-!"_ he gasped and the monster shuddered and groaned as it began to shrink, dropping Gwendal unceremoniously to the floor. All three men watched in dumbstruck awe as the weird monster began to deflate, hissing air as it crumpled into itself in a dramatic display.

Once the smoke had cleared all that was left was a hunk of metal no bigger than a shoe box.

"What in the world- how did you do that!? Is it defeated?" Stoffel asked, eyeing the box cautiously. "Are you alright?" Raven asked as Gwendal got to his feet.

They both watched in anticipation as Stoffel very carefully nudged the box with the long end of a broom handle.

Nothing. Only silence.

"Quickly, we should leave before-"

 **{"LET'S BE FRIENDS."}**

 _"AIIEEEEEEE!"_ All three shouted, leaping back from the box in horror.

However, nothing else happened... Well, except that the box began to rumble pathetically forward- bumping uselessly into a wall.

 **{"Let's be friends. Let's be friends. Let's be friends."}**

"I think... it's broken." Gwendal said as he approached the device with a stroke of courage- kicking it with his boot.

 **{"Let's be friends. Let's be friends. Let's be friends."}**

It turned slowly before running over a rock which caused it to flip onto it's side with a _'clank!'_ \- it's wheels whirring helplessly in the air.

 **{"Let's be friends... Let's be friends... Let's be friends..."}**

Gwendal looked into the creature's eyes, made of broken glass. They had once been red but now glowed a soft blue in color. _'It's kind of cute...'_ he thought as he looked the device over- a blush creeping onto his face.

Picking it up like a turtle, he turned back towards his uncle.

They all shared a moment of contemplative silence.

"Where's Sir Rolland...?" Stoffel murmured, fearing the worst.

"Sire!"

 _'Speak of Shinou and he'll appear.'_ Stoffel thought to himself with relief as his men flooded the hall they were in.

"We brought reinforcements!" The captain said, "When we didn't see you in the labyrinth we came looking for you, are you alright?"

"Yes," Raven said with small smile as he patted dust off Stoffel's shoulder. "We're fine, Prince Gwendal defeated the monster."

The guards turned their eyes to the destroyed hallway and the boy holding the dented metal box.

"A-amazing...!" Sir Rolland smiled. "Excellent work!"

The prince didn't reply immediately, his eyes glued instead to the man's hands.

"What's that...?" Gwendal asked, pointing at a crumpled letter Sir Rolland held in his hand.

"O-oh! I nearly forgot! When the reinforcements arrived they brought us a messenger carrying an urgent letter from her majesty the Maoh!" he said, unfurling the piece of paper. "Give that here!" Stoffel shouted, snatching the paper out of the man's hands as he began reading it carefully- Raven peering curiously over his shoulder.

 **{"Let's be friends. Let's be friends. Let's be friends."}**

Gwendal hugged the metal box to his chest as he prepared himself for bad news, chewing his lip nervously.

There was a long moment of silence before his uncle locked eyes with him. "Gwendal, I think you should read this." he said quietly, passing the note to the boy who continued to hold the box like a life-line as he began to read.

 _'My dear brother, I am well. Please see that this letter reaches Gwendal._

 _Gwennie, I'm so proud of you for being brave and putting up with your stuffy uncle. My little prince, you can add 'big brother' to your list of titles now. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy and we named him Conrart Lawrence Weller. He has the biggest smile and he can't wait to meet you. We'll be heading back to the capitol in a few days._

 _We love you very much! - Your mother, your little brother Conrart,_ **DAN-HIRI WELLER.** _'_

At the very bottom of the page was a footprint from the baby- tiny and cute, barely even half the size of Gwendal's hand.

Gwendal huffed upon seeing _that man's_ bold signature scrawled at the end of the page, it looked rough and out-of-place compared to his mother's flowing script. Perhaps it looked so funny because he had something in his eye...

He rubbed his face, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"It's a b-boy." Gwendal said through his tears. _"I'm so g-glad...!"_ he hic'd, wiping his face on his sleeves.

The soldiers chose that moment to cheer, clapping and hooting in the hallway as they congratulated him on becoming a big brother. Sir Rolland even picked him up as they slapped him on the back and ruffled his hair.

"She's alright." Stoffel said with a smile. "Thank Shinou."

 **{"Let's be friends! Let's be friends! Let's be friends!"}**

"A boy!" Raven said with a smile. "Looks like you're going to have a friend for life, young man."

"Y-yes, I know! _"_ Gwendal replied through a teary, relieved smile as he was placed back on his feet once more.

"Now... Let's clean up this mess!" Stoffel ordered, causing his men's shoulder's to slump miserably as they all eyed the massive amount of damage around them. "We're going to throw a celebration tonight and I'd like the manor to be in good shape!" that made the men perk up once more.

After all, a celebration meant _free spirits-!_

* * *

The party was elaborate as maids, soldiers, nobles and grounds keepers joined together in the courtyard to celebrate the birth of the new prince and the fact that the manor hadn't been completely destroyed- their livelihoods having been saved by the first crown prince.

Gwendal watched his uncle dance (horrible and stiff...) with Raven from a balcony off of the main ballroom. He had to admit, his visit at the manor hadn't been so bad. At one point he'd even somewhat enjoyed his uncle's company.

Slipping away unseen, he retired to his room early. He was exhausted from an emotional, eventful day.

 **{"Let's be friends. Let's be friends. Let's be friends."}** _'Let-Me-Be-Yours-Kun!'_ said as it rumbled along at his heels, following the prince to his room.

"I'm still going to throttle her," Gwendal said to the invention as he opened the door to his quarters. "She nearly killed me!"

 **{"Let's be friends. Let's be friends. Let's be friends."}**

"Hrmph!"

He landed on his bed with a sigh, breathing deeply as he took the letter his mother had wrote him out of his pocket and re-read it once more.

 _"Conrart Lawrence Weller."_ He laughed, "She ended up naming him that after all!" he said to himself with amusement.

Months earlier his mother had told him if the baby was a girl, her name would be _Colette_ and if the baby was a boy his name would be _Conrart._

Colette because it meant _'victory of the people'_ and Conrart... Because it had been the name of a lion from a children's story book that she loved. Gwendal had scoffed at his mother's silly choice in names, suggesting instead that if the baby was a boy they should name him something strong and fearsome, like _Rothford,_ _Draven_ or _Lawrence..._ But his mother had insisted: it was Colette or Conrart- nothing else.

Dan-Hiri had only shrugged and smiled. _'Whatever she says goes,'_ he'd said with a laugh. _'She's the Maoh, right?'_

Gwendal rolled on his side and sat up, opening his bed-side drawer to pull out the knitting project he'd finally finished. It was a toy lion, yellow and orange in color. He hadn't known the gender of his sibling when he'd started the project months ago- so he'd decided on a lion because it's colors were neutral.

However, he'd also chose the lion because he'd been secretly praying for a brother.

He'd worked long and hard on it- ensuring each stitch was made to the best of his ability and thankfully his hard work had paid off. The lion was flawless.

"I can't wait to meet you." he said with a soft smile. "Come home soon, alright...?"

With that, he picked _'Let-Me-Be-Yours-Kun!'_ up off the floor and set it on the bed next to him, wrapping his arm around the device and pressing the lion to his chest. He slept peacefully, not realizing that his uncle had been at the door, peering through the crack- a soft smile upon his face.

* * *

Gwendal, Stoffel and Raven stood on the steps of Covenant Castle as his mother's entourage rumbled it's way into the courtyard, stirring up clouds of dirt.

"Gwendal!"

It wasn't his mother's sweet voice- but Gwendal was sort of glad to hear it all the same as Dan-Hiri departed from the carriage, approaching him with large strides. The human man completely ignored the fact that his wife was struggling to carry their son and exit the carriage at the same time- leaving her in the dust.

Gwendal didn't even have time to greet the man before Dan-Hiri had scooped him into a bone-crushing hug; knuckling his hair as he squawked loudly in protest. _"Let go of me, you're filthy-!"_ He shouted, biting and kicking the larger man with vengeance.

"Gwennie!" his mother said, bustling her way to his side. "Look who's here!"

She passed a small bundle into his arms just as Dan-Hiri stepped away, moving on to torture Lord Stoffel instead. Said bundle looked up at him with large, bright eyes. _'S-so cute...!'_ Gwendal thought, a blush reaching his face as he cradled the child closer, looking his brother over with wonder.

"Oh, I missed you!" his mother coo'd petting her son's dark hair and kissing his face. "Isn't he adorable?"

"We missed you as well," Stoffel said, roughly detaching himself from Dan-Hiri's gasp. "I'm glad to see you're safe."

"Oh..." She sighed, rubbing her back. "It was dreadful! It was so hot and sticky in Luttenberg and there were these awful horse-flies... then Dani had to go hunting because the town was too frightened to sell us any food- they were terrified of accidentally making me sick so all I ate for weeks was fish and deer!" she cried, looking pale.

"I fed you lots of potatoes, too." Dan-Hiri said with a grin. "It was great! That's all I usually eat, anyway."

"Great for you!" she snapped, "I nearly lost my mind! If I so much as see another fish..."

"Did you guys have fun?" Dan-Hiri interrupted his wife, a twinkle in his eye as he looked between the three men.

"I... I did, actually." Gwendal said softly, a smile reaching his face as he looked back at his uncle. "We had a good time."

"That's wonderful." Celi said with a relieved smile.

"Oh, I have something for you!" Gwendal said to his brother as he produced the knitted lion from his pocket and placed it within the child's grasp. "I made it just for you."

"Wow! That's a really well made walrus!" Dan-Hiri praised his step-son who froze, shooting him an icy look.

"It's..." the boy sighed as the child in his arms giggled and coo'd.

"It's a _lion..."_


End file.
